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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · bound · present · band · swing · lie · current · court

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. swing — to play on
  3. present — the time now
  4. current — electric
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. current — of water
  7. present — there
  8. band — a ring
  9. court — for sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. present — a gift
  14. bound — obliged
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — to recline
  17. swing — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. current — happening now
  22. bound — certain
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com